Letter To Office Of The Vice President Chief Of Staff, David S. Addington

Letter

Sen. John Kerry today received a response to his letter to David Addington, the Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. On Monday Kerry questioned Addington about whether or not the Vice President considers himself outside of the Executive Branch so as to avoid scrutiny. The text of Addington's response is here.

"This legalistic response raises more questions than it purports to answer," Senator Kerry said. "I am far from satisfied with the response from David Addington, and ask again for the Vice President's office to plainly answer the question of whether he considers himself outside the realm of agency scrutiny, and what their office is doing to secure our nation's most privileged information. The American people deserve to know the truth and are owed more than a parse constitionally' as the president's spokesman said today."

Below is a copy of Kerry's letter:

June 26, 2007

David S. Addington

Chief of Staff

Office of the Vice President

Eisenhower Executive Office Building

Washington, DC 20501

Dear Mr. Addington,

Thank you for your prompt reply to my letter dated June 25, 2007 in reference to the Vice President's refusal to comply with Executive Order 12958. However, your response raises more questions then it purports to answer. My letter posed two separate and specific questions to your office: 1) Does the Office of the Vice President believe it does not fall under the executive branch and if so, what reasoning is there behind that determination?; 2) What steps is the Office of the Vice President taking to protect classified information if they are not adhering to inspections from the Archives? Your letter did not address either of these critical issues.

Additionally, you stated that, "The executive order gives the Information Security Oversight Office, under the supervision of the Archivist of the United States, responsibility to oversee certain activities of agencies,' but not of the Vice President or the President." However, on June 21st, Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman said, ''the White House complies with the executive order, including the National Security Council.'' If the White House complies with Executive Order 12958 then why does the Vice President feel compelled to adopt a different approach?

You also characterize these constitutional questions as occurring in a "theoretical discussion" but that is not the case. The Vice President's non-compliance with this executive order came to light through an investigation done by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and questions raised by Congressman Henry Waxman, the chairman of that committee. The care and handling of classified information is not a theoretical issue, it is a justified concern of Congress executing its oversight function.

Executive Order 12958 clearly states that, "Agency' means any Executive agency,' as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105; any Military department' as defined in 5 U.S.C. 102; and any other entity within the executive branch that comes into the possession of classified information." Your view that the Office of the Vice President is not an "agency" does not address the fact that Vice President Cheney is clearly within the executive branch and it is through that position that he is privy to classified information.

Again, I ask you to respond to the questions raised in my first letter and the additional question posted herein. These questions include:

1. Does the Office of the Vice President believe that it does not fall under the executive branch and, if so, what is the reasoning behind this determination?

2. What protocols or procedures does the Office of the Vice President employ to ensure the safety of classified information?

3. Why does the Office of the Vice President differentiate itself from the White House in its compliance with Executive Order 12958?

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your timely response.